


Erinaceus Magi: Sonic Magicus

by PurpleOffbeat



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Mild Language, More characters to come, Original Witches, Retelling, eventual major character death warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25264648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleOffbeat/pseuds/PurpleOffbeat
Summary: After waking up from a strange and ominous dream, Sonic and his friends meet a mysterious character named Silver the Hedgehog who warns him of a terrible fate. Soon, Sonic finds Silver attacking a peculiar animal who calls himself Kyuubey and wants him and Shadow to become magical girls?! The fantastical tale of hedgehogs and their battles for hope begins!(A re-telling of the events of Madoka Magica with Sonic characters, beware of major spoilers for the former series. Includes original witches. Depending on how this fic is received, I may make sequels...)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. As if I Met Him in a Dream...

The machinery is a maze. Steam blows from valves surrounding him and the lights are dim. His feet hit the pavement hard as he sprints; the clang of robots is noisy and it becomes even louder as he knocks them over with deafening crashes. He must hurry, despite the sweat dripping from his body, despite the roars he hears in the distance.

He reaches a door that appears to lead outside. He’s panting and shaking, but he musters the courage and opens the large door, revealing a tempest of floating cogs and massive robots writhing in the air. They are creating copies, multiplying by the minute.

In the distance, he sees a white hedgehog battling against the behemoths. That hedgehog is alone but it doesn’t seem like he’s losing hope, despite how difficult it is to fight back in the foggy sky. The machines unleash a terrible cry after each blow. He has to cover his ears due to the incredible screeches that were loud enough to shake the ground. He doesn't have that much time, if only-

A robot punches the hedgehog in the air, who falls from his platform.

" _I need to save everyone,_ " he thinks. " _I need to go there and fight alongside-_ "

"You can stop all of this," he glances down. "You have the power to bring all this fighting to an end."

"Do I really...?"

"Why, of course!"

He can do it... No, he MUST do it.

"It's over if you lose all hope. You know what to do. So, make a contract with me and become a magical girl!" Finally, he decides. He breathes deeply, then-

\---

Sonic blinks. The morning sunlight shines through the blinds, illuminating his bedroom. The hedgehog can't help but lazily stretch in bed and yawn.

"Just a dream, huh...?"

He reluctantly crawls out of bed. The wonderful smell wafting from downstairs confirms that Tails is already up bright and early. Sonic now hurries.

"Good morning, buddy!"

"Oh! Good morning, Sonic! Sit down, I've made breakfast for us."

"Alright, sweet!" It was only a simple dish of eggs and bacon with freshly made orange juice, but Sonic loves how Tails makes them.

He swallows the food like a glutton. After helping his brother with the dishes, Sonic goes for a morning run.

The cool breeze on his face is the best feeling to start the day off with. The rustling of the leaves and grass is a familiar sound but one that he thinks he'll never get bored of. It's another beautiful day in the hills, and even though it's a familiar sight, this is the peace that he and his friends fight for, it's the way things should always be.

\---

The streets seem a bit calmer than usual, which made that morning even better - less people meant less attention for the heroes. Sonic and Tails stop by Amy's house, as they had promised to help her with grocery shopping.

The fox knocks at the door. "Amy! It's us!"

"Coming!" After a few moments, the pink hedgehog then opens the front door with a smile. "Good morning guys!"

"Good morning, Amy!"

"Mornin', Ames!"

"I just got ready to leave, shall we go?"

The trip to the store isn't that long, and shopping for everything that Amy needs isn't hard with everyone helping. The three of them are all carrying their share of bags. They idly chat about everything and nothing, without a care in the world. Sonic finds it kind of boring, really.

The next moment, someone walks up to them.

"Excuse me..." The one before them is a white hedgehog. He has five quills growing from his forehead and two longer ones from the back of the head. He's wearing what look like futuristic gloves and boots, and a ring in the middle finger of the left hand. He has an unreadable expression, eyes dull. "Sonic the Hedgehog, I must talk to you."

Tails and Amy are slightly taken aback, what with the hedgehog's strange attitude, but the blue blur is really surprised, because he recognizes the one in front of him. _He's the one from my dream!_

"S-sure, what's up?"

The mysterious person doesn't even look an inch away from Sonic's face. "It must be in private."

 _Now that's just suspicious, what gives? Is this another dream?_ It isn't, obviously, but the hero can't help but wonder. He comes up with an idea.

"Okay, tell you what, we'll race and the winner gets to ask the other a question first!" There's no way anyone in their right mind would agree to a race against Sonic the Hedgehog himself, right?

"Of course..." The white hedgehog replies, much to everyone's surprise. _Does this guy know who he's going up against?_

Sonic sets his bags next to Tails and stretches in preparation. Meanwhile, the white hedgehog does nothing except stand beside Sonic. Amy counts down, and they're off. At first, the stranger seems to be much slower than Sonic, but then there's a blur of neon blue and he's disappeared along with the hero. The two are running side by side through the streets and Sonic finds it strange how it took some time for his rival to reach his pace. It takes him a second to realize said rival is glowing.

"Woah woah woah, what's going on here?" Sonic skids to a halt, then the fellow hedgehog does too. "Why the heck are you glowing, what is that?"

"You're using your powers to run, I'm using mine." The stranger retorts.

Sonic is surprised again. _What kinda powers is he using?_ "That-that's cheating! You can't do that!" He doesn't know what to say. "Anyways, who are you?"

"I believe it's my turn to ask a question." He replies monotonously.

"No, it isn't! You cheated! Will you just answer me?!"

"...Silver the Hedgehog."

"Okay, it's, uh, nice to meet ya, Silver... And what powers were you using, anyway?"

"...Psychokinesis."

Sonic doesn't know what to say. For a moment, both hedgehogs remain silent.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, do you value your life with your friends and family? Do you want to live happily with them?"

Sonic is speechless for a second. "Yeah...? I mean, I want to live with my friends and my little bro. I want to keep the peace of the world forever. That's why I fight against Eggman."

"Is that so...? Heed my warning, Hedgehog. Do not try to change who you are, or else you might lose everything you have. Your life among your loved ones might change sooner than it should..."

For whatever reason, those words send a chill down Sonic's spine.

"...That goes for you too, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Sonic turns around, flabbergasted. From a nearby alleyway, Shadow slowly emerges.

He hesitantly speaks up, "How did you know I was here?"

After a pause, Silver replies "I just knew. In any case, take care, you two." He turns and leaves calmly, as if nothing had happened.

\---

After the incident with the strange hedgehog, Shadow decides to join their group. They chat while heading back to Amy's.

"What was that all about?"

"I'm suspicious of him, Sonic. He reacted very strangely..." Says Tails.

"You're right. Like I said, he somehow knew I followed them."

"Why _did_ you follow us?"

"That's classified information."

"Oh, c'mon! We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yes, Amy, but you're not GUN agents."

"I knew it was GUN-related." Tails rolls his eyes.

"But guys, here's the weird thing: I've seen him before."

"What?! Why didn't you say so before?! That's super important!" Amy furrows her eyebrows.

"Well, I actually haven't really _seen_ him, it's more like... as if I met him in a dream..."

After a short pause, the pink hedgehog snorts. "You can't be serious...!"

"Shut up! Of course I'm serious!"

"You know, you might've met him before and just don't remember!" Says the two-tailed fox. "After all, he knew your name, right? The dream was just your subconscious reminding you of him!"

"I doubt it, there's definitely something wrong with him..."

"And why's that?"

"Don't you remember, Sonic? He knew my name too."

"True, you're too much of an introvert to know a lot of people. No offense." With that, Shadow is practically shooting daggers at Sonic, who raises his hands in defeat.

"Still, it might just be a crazy coincidence... The odds are incredibly low, but not 0%."

"Uh, I'm no genius, Tails, but I highly doubt that." Amy cocks her head in thought. "I mean, let's be real here…"

They continue chatting about the strange new hedgehog in town. When the group eventually reach Amy's house, they decide it's pointless to linger on it too much, and that it's better to move on with their lives.

\---

Later that day, Sonic and Tails decide to hit up the mall and have lunch. It's bustling with activity, much more crowded than the streets.

Afterwards, they go into the hardware store for parts that Tails needs for his next gadgets. While the fox is checking out electrical wires and such, Sonic is frankly bored. He's pacing around impatiently, though he understands these things take their time.

"Is it really so hard to choose between some cables?"

"Sorry, but you're gonna have to wait a little more..."

Tails is too concentrated on his calculations. Sonic sighs. Usually, going shopping is the least of his problems, but his impatience really makes him think it's gotta be the most tedious thing happening in the world.

Suddenly, he hears a strange voice.

" _Sonic... Sonic…!_ "

He looks around but sees no one looking his way.

" _Sonic... Help me…_ "

Now the blue blur can't just ignore it. Whenever someone is in need, he rescues them, no questions asked. It seems the one in trouble isn't in the store, however.

"Hey, bro, I'm gonna head out for a second, okay? I'll be back in a minute."

"Oh, okay, Sonic, see ya." Tails waves him off absentmindedly.

The hedgehog begins searching for whomever is calling for him, placing a hand behind his ear. As the cries for help get louder and louder, Sonic is led to a back hallway. He then opens an emergency door to head closer to the mysterious voice. The lights barely illuminate the passageway and there's seemingly nobody around.

" _Sonic...!_ " As he climbs the stairs, the voice is only getting louder and clearer. It doesn't quite sound... natural.

Above him he can hear quick footsteps. At the other end of the room, he hears something metallic falling with a thud; then there's a bang. Sonic runs towards the source of the noise.

Looking closer, there's a small cat-like animal sprawled on the floor. It's breathing heavily, clearly fighting to stay alive. Sonic picks it up, unsure of what it is, but certain it needs help.

"Oh my god, are you alright?!" He exclaims. It’s a white and pink creature, with what appear to be long ears and a big, fluffy tail. Sonic picks it up carefully. Then, something descends from the ceiling and lands neatly in front of them.

It's Silver, dressed in a strange flashy costume of some sort, a gun in his right hand, a small shield on the other.

"S-Silver??!" The blue hero has no idea what's happening, nor does he have any time to ask what's going on.

"Drop that thing. _Immediately._ " Silver demands.

"But it's hurt!" Sonic refuses.

Silver steps forward and points the gun at the ground. "Give it to me."

"N-no way!" Sonic quickly turns and runs away with the animal in his arms. Silver follows suit, however he's nowhere near as quick as Sonic is without his powers. He begins using his psychokinesis to float towards him, when he stops in his tracks, because the space around them begins to shift.

Sonic is too focused on the being he's carrying to notice it, but the dark hallway changes into a field. When he looks up, it’s as if it’s nighttime, but the flowers and the trees shine brightly with neon colors, switching from one to the other. It seems there’s music blaring somewhere far away, though he’s not sure where from. There are also what appear to be fireflies flying around the place; it’s hard to tell them apart from the stars above. He looks around him - Silver is nowhere to be seen and Sonic can’t recognize where he is anymore. He’d call out for help, if only his new rival wasn’t trying to kill the creature, still struggling to breathe.

Sonic is shocked. _Where is the mall? When did it become nighttime?_ But most importantly, _what the hell is with those things dancing towards him?_

When he notices, it’s already too late. The demonic string puppets commanded by _nothing_ are moving in a way that resembles both dancing and jumping. They wear bright clothing and their facial expressions are like those of joyful clowns: absolutely _terrifying_. Sonic hears children laughing, getting louder every second. _Is this some sick joke?_

The dolls are getting closer and closer and there’s nowhere to lay the white being in his arms down safely on the ground anymore. He feels like he can’t fight back, and so braces for impact…

 **BAM!** One of the demons falls and the rest stop in their tracks. Sonic glances towards the source of the noise and sees Shadow, yet again, and he’s fighting against the horrifying things. He’s punching and kicking them, and in the blink of an eye, the dolls are all defeated. The space around them begins to evaporate and before long Sonic and Shadow are back to the corridor of the mall.

“Shadow! Thank god you’re here!”

Shadow relaxes. “Hmph. Just part of the job…”

“Job? Wait, don’t tell me-”

Sonic then realizes the black hedgehog is suddenly back on a fighting stance. He turns around with a gasp – Silver is on the top of the stairs.

A brief moment passes. Then, Shadow decides to break the silence. “What are you doing?”

No response.

“You better back off before you get hurt, _Silver the Hedgehog_.”

“Leave that thing to me.”

“You won’t lay a finger on it as long as we’re here to protect it!” Sonic speaks up.

A few quiet seconds pass, the three hedgehogs not moving an inch. Sonic figures Silver must’ve gotten tired of standing around doing nothing, because he turns and calmly walks away, as if he hadn’t just been threatened by two of the most powerful individuals on the planet.

When the white hedgehog is out of sight, Sonic sighs. “Thanks for that, Shadow, I have no clue what’s going on.”

“Frankly, neither do I, but I know an enemy when I see one…”

“So, what do we do about this ‘cat thing’?” When they look at it, it seems the creature is peacefully asleep in Sonic’s arms.

“Maybe we should take it to GUN labs to analyze-”

Suddenly, it opens its bright red eyes and jumps onto the ground. “Phew! I thought I was a goner there!”

Sonic and Shadow glance at each other, dumbfounded. “Y-you can talk?”

“Of course! You heard me before, right?”

“Wait, that was you?!”

“What does it mean, ‘you heard it’? Did you hear its voice before?”

“Well, I heard _a_ voice, Shadow, but I didn’t know it was him calling out to me!”

“Please calm down, you two.” The small being beckons for attention with a wave of the paw. “I’m sure you’re confused but I can explain most of it!”

“Most of it?” Questions Shadow.

“Yes, but first I need to ask something very important of you.”

“And what’s that?” Sonic cocks his head.

“Sonic, Shadow… make a contract with me and become magical girls!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutouts to my friends who supported me while writing this chapter, but especially Seb and Torrvaa for proof-reading and fixing certain mistakes; Torrvaa also helped me design the magical girl outfits, as you'll see later; and Nesita for the witch idea. Credits for witch ideas will come with their respective chapters.
> 
> Edited 16/July/2020


	2. That Would Be Really Awesome!

“Sonic, Shadow… make a contract with me and become magical girls!”

The hedgehogs stay quiet for a moment.

“Pfffhahahaha!” Sonic begins laughing like a maniac.

“Shut up, you blue fool! Staff will find out we’re here!” Shadow puts a finger in front of his own lips.

But Sonic ignores him and continues giggling, wiping a tear from his eye. “Haha, am I going crazy? This thing-I-don’t-even-know-how-to-describe can talk, and he’s saying we should become magical _girls_?! God, I _must_ be dreaming!” He pinches his arm, despite knowing full well he’s awake. “By the way, who are you anyway?”

“My name is Kyuubey, pleased to meet you both!”

“Are you some sort of chao?” Questions Shadow. “Hero chao?”

“No, I am nothing of the sort.”

“Yeah, chao can’t talk.” Sonic cheekily smiles at his friend, prompting the latter to bat his hand at him.

“I know you thought the same. He even looks like one, especially with those floating rings.”

“In any case, I must tell you that neither of you are regular people anymore.” Says Kyuubey. “From now on, you will encounter those monsters you saw back there. By the way, they’re called familiars, and every familiar belongs to a witch. That’s the real-”

“Oh boy, witches?”

“Let him speak, idiot!”

“…That’s the real enemy of magical girls.”

“Oh yeah, heh, what do you mean by that?”

“It’s quite simple, Sonic. In this world there are witches, wretched beings who spread curses and all kinds of catastrophes on the planet. They live in pocket dimensions of their own, called labyrinths. They’re also the reason why some natural disasters appear out of nowhere, or why people are suddenly driven to suicide without a reason.”

Shadow grows pale. “Th-that’s…”

“Well, that’s dark.”

“Those things tend not to happen because of magical girls! They’re people recruited all over the world who fight against witches and spread hope.”

“And how would one become a magical girl, as you say?” Shadow scratches his chin in thought.

“It’s simple! Make a contract with me. All you need to do is make a wish, and I will grant it!”

“A wish?” Sonic’s eyes widen. “We can ask for anything?!”

“Pretty much. You are given a single wish for me to fulfill.”

“Anything, huh? That would be really awesome!” Sonic taps his cheek pensively. “Hm, I don’t know what I want, to be honest.”

“That’s okay, take as much time as you need. But beware that if you ever get swallowed into a labyrinth and you have no magical power, you will be in great trouble…”

“Hold on a second.” Shadow interrupts. “Silver, he’s a magical girl too, right?”

“Ohh, good thinkin’!”

“Yes, actually. I don’t know why he was attacking me though.”

“Speaking of not knowing why _certain people_ show up…” Sonic looks over towards Shadow.

“I’m on an investigation. Someone stole GUN weaponry and forensics found white hairs in the armory. I personally think it’s this new Silver guy… He’s clearly up to something. I saw him after leaving Amy’s and followed him into this mall, the rest is history.”

“Wow, okay. Well, I don’t have the time, but I came here with Tails and he’s probably looking for me now…” _Or maybe not yet_ , thought Sonic, hoping he’s wrong.

“You can meet me another day, when you’re ready to make your wishes! Until then, I must scout for more magical girls.”

“Okay, see ya later, Kyuubey!”

“I need to report to HQ too. I should be going, then.”

“Hey, let’s meet tomorrow, okay?”

“What for?”

“Wishes, silly!”

Shadow rolls his eyes but accepts the invitation. After arranging where to meet up, they say their goodbyes. Shadow leaves through a backdoor and Sonic exits the hallway into the mall. He winces due to the blinding afternoon light shining through the windows after all the time spent in the gloomy halls, but he’s happy to know the sun is still up. When he enters the hardware store, he sighs with relief seeing Tails on the line for the checkout.

\---

The next day starts out like all the other ones: breakfast, morning run, help Tails with his gadgets, etc. Sonic had however decided to meet up with Shadow for lunch to talk about what kind of wishes they would want Kyuubey to grant.  
 _Gotta go fast_ , thinks Sonic while running towards the park, _can’t have him tell me I’m a slowpoke like him!_

As expected, Shadow is already there, sitting on a bench near the fountain. The park is a wonderful place, lots of space for playing and running around, pretty flower beds with all kinds of beautiful flowers, and in the center, a fountain that lights up at night with all the colors of the rainbow.

“You’re late.”

“You’re early!”

The hedgehogs are already bickering about the time they had decided upon.

“Please don’t fight you two.” Sonic hears Kyuubey’s voice and is startled. When he looks closely, he sees him sitting beside Shadow. He hadn’t even noticed him!

Suddenly, Sonic hears something strange. “ _Didn’t even see him? You really are a fool._ ” Sonic could swear he heard Shadow say that, but his lips are locked in a smirk. “ _Don’t panic, no one can see him besides us and actual magical girls._ ”

“ _Okay, but what about the thoughts I’m hearing?_ ” is what he wants to say, but he thought it before speaking, and so hears in response,

“ _Telepathy. We can talk with our minds now. Pretty useful if you ask me._ ”  
_What?_  
“ _I know._ ”  
“For the record, this is how I communicate!”  
_So everyone can just read my mind now?!_ Sonic feels his face warming up rapidly.

“No, that’s not how it works. You must actively think your thoughts towards others.” Kyuubey replies.

Shadow turns to him. “ _Sonic thinks out loud, so to speak, huh?_ ”

_What is that supposed to mean?_ His cheeks feel like they’re burning now.

“You tend to think ‘towards’ others, and you speak your thoughts unfiltered.” Explains Kyuubey. “You can stop the communication at any time if you just concentrate a little, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Sonic tries to cut the connection the best way he can. _Can you hear me now?_

No response.

_You’re not messing with me, are you?_

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “ _Are you trying to say something?_ ”

“Gah!” Sonic jumps. “Ah, uh, it’s nothing!”

Shadow chuckles in response. “This is out of this world…”

Sonic is still blushing. “In any case, we should head out, people here will think we’re weirdos… The diner down the street?”

Shadow sighs while getting up. “Fine, I wasn’t expecting anything fancy either way.”

“Is that an insult?”

“I wonder…”

\---

The diner is nearly full. The neon signs illuminate the counters and the employees are hard at work; the cheesy, old-timey music can’t overpower the noise of the place. The carefree atmosphere makes it perfect for a relaxed meal with friends, and Sonic is itching to eat some delicious food. They sit in a booth, and to no one’s surprise, Sonic orders a chili dog and a soda, while Shadow gets a burger and a bottle of water instead, with a plate of fries for the both to share (and for Kyuubey too). Greasy comfort food, the blue blur isn’t the kind of person to choose anything else, much to his friend’s dismay.

“Yum!”

“Don’t you dare speak with your mouth full, Hedgehog.”

“Hey, shub ubph.”

“You’re the one who should shut up while eating, you disgusting idiot.”

“Say…”

“Ah, do you want a fry, Kyuubey?”

Sonic gulps down his food. “Of course he wants one.” He offers him a half-eaten fry.

“No, I meant, about wishes…”

“Ah, mm, sho, I wash fibkinh-” Shadow narrows his eyes at Sonic, prompting him to swallow once again. “Like I was saying, I was thinking it would be nice to become stronger. What do you think, Kyuubey?”

“I can’t decide on a wish for you or give you ideas, it’s against the rules.”

“Oh. Well, Shadow?”

“I’m plenty strong so I can see why you would want that for yourself.” He shrugs.

“Geez, you’re gonna mock even my first idea? Harsh… Well, I guess if I can’t think of anything, I can just wish for a giant chili dog…!” Sonic’s mouth is watering.

“There’s a chili dog _right in your hands_ , Sonic, how greedy can you be?”

“Hey, greed is that other sin, I’ve read enough to know this one is-”

“In any case!” Shadow interrupts. “Maybe I should wish to be the fastest thing on the planet?”

Sonic points directly at Shadow’s nose. “Don’t you dare, I’ll definitely wish to be the fastest thing _in the universe_!” He mock threatens and the hedgehogs can’t help but chuckle. “Nah but for real, Kyuubey must be awfully tired of our banter.” He pets the smaller creature on the head. “Isn’t that right, Kyuubs?”

“‘Kyuubs’?”

“Actually, it’s quite interesting for me to see how you communicate.”

“Yeah, we’re a colorful bunch, our group of friends.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“See?”

Shadow rolls his eyes. “Speaking of friends...” He spots a familiar face heading towards them. “You girlfriend is here, Sonic.”

“What? Wait, don’t say-”

“Hi guys!” Amy greets them, waving her hand.

“Hello, Amy.”

“H-hi Amy…” Sonic rests his head on his fist, clearly trying to cover Kyuubey from vision. “Wh-what’s up?”

“Oh, Sonic, what a coincidence I found you here! I was just thinking we should totally spend the rest of the day together!” She sits beside Sonic.

“Ah, i-is that so?” Sonic smiles awkwardly. “I mean, no thank you, Amy.”

“Aw, come on! We could take a nice walk on this beautiful day. You know, like a date?” Amy seems hopeful.

_Does she not see him?_ He thinks.

“ _Of course not, genius._ ”

_What?!_ Sonic flinches and looks towards Shadow, noticing the two of them are having a telepathic conversation.

“ _You already forgot didn’t you. No one but us and magical girls can see him, you can relax._ ”

_A-are you sure? He’s not exactly hard to miss…_

“ _That’s not the point, they really can’t see him at all. Isn’t that right, Kyuubey?_ ” Shadow doesn’t look away from Sonic’s eyes.

“Correct, no one but those I’ve chosen can see me.”

“Um...” Amy is glancing back and forth between her friends’ faces, as if trying to read their minds.

_No way, she totally knows!!_

“Don’t tell me...”

_This is bad… She’s gonna find out!_

“You guys can already...” She gasps. “...talk _only_ with your facial expressions?!”

_Wait, that’s not exactly-_

“So it’s true! Oh my gosh, how is this possible?! Have you two been hanging out so much behind everyone’s backs that you already have such a strong connection between each other??”

_Uhh…_  
“ _Let her think what she wants, it’s better than knowing the truth._ ”

“I knew my reading was fishy… Should’ve done one for you too, Sonic.” Amy cups her face with her hands.

“What? Oh, you mean your tarot thingies, right?” Sonic speculates.

“Ohh, I’m gonna cry. I knew it, there’s something deep between you two and I can’t stop it.” She pouts. “Still! A love between a boy and another boy is…!”

“Wh-what?!” Sonic feels his face hotter than ever.

“Hmph...” Shadow looks out the window, tapping his fingers on the table.

“Is it cursed? Fated to be? Maybe-!”

“Amy, what did you come here for?” Sonic is impatient and would beg for her to stop.

“Ah, right. I come here for lunch every now and then...”

“Let’s just eat, okay, Amy? I think you’re just hungry.”

“...Okay.” She complies.

The rest of the lunch goes by quietly, much to Sonic's annoyance. At times, he tries to work up a conversation but it never really takes off; Shadow barely talks and Amy is too concentrated on her meal. Sonic wishes he didn’t feel so guilty.

\---

After lunch, Sonic goes for a run towards the hills, the prior incident still on his mind. _Why was that so weird? Why did Amy bring that up? Is Shadow mad at her?_ All the noise in his head makes him slow down to a stroll, always looking at the grass below him.

_God… Why did she have to make it so awkward? Are we really that different nowadays…? No, it's her. She's the one being weird. She's the one who needs to calm down… Yeah. Yeah! She needs to back off and mind her own business! I'm not helping her any time soon. In fact, maybe I'll never help her again, even if she's in trouble. It's what she deserves for standing between us. It's what she deserves. It's what she-_

He stops shaking his fists, realizing something’s wrong. Standing still, he looks up. The hills have turned into a plane field and it's nighttime, there’s fireflies and stars in the sky and the plants all change colors, shining like glowsticks. The insane marionettes from the previous day are all moving in droves towards the concert venue ahead, where techno music is blaring from. Sonic doesn't even immediately notice when he's being pushed by a group of those monsters towards the rave.

"Hey, stop! You're gonna- ow! Quit pushing me!!" But his cries are useless. He tries kicking and punching them, but it seems like the more of them he kills, the more of them appear than before. He's already at the edge of the immense crowd, slowly being led towards the center. He continues attacking, but it's getting exhausting, especially since he isn't ready for a fight at all. The dolls are swallowing him and he can't escape. _Oh no, this is bad. If these things begin a mosh pit, I'm done for!_

Then, the lights blind him. Rays of color shoot from everywhere around him and the music becomes deafening. When Sonic's eyes adjust, he sees a huge monster on stage, dancing more wickedly than the dolls possibly could. It looks like millions of sequins and fake jewels nestled together, almost as if covering a human, the gaudiest mishmash of colors changing every second. It has several limbs with hands all around it, seemingly commanding dolls or instruments the way it wishes. It grabs your attention like the first star of the night does: the shiniest, most selfish of all.  


  


"KYUUBEY! KYUUBEY, HELP ME!! ARE YOU THERE??" He has a wish: "something, anything, give me the power to defeat them; someone, anyone, please-"

"Sonic, can you hear me? I'm right here, just make a wish and I'll turn you into a magical g-"

" _That won't be necessary._ "

Gunshots. Then, many familiars disappear from around the crowd, the ones surrounding Sonic stop in their tracks and look around frantically. In the blink of an eye, another group of them disappear suddenly, leaving only a few next to Sonic. When Sonic notices Silver, the few last familiars begin floating upwards, glowing turquoise, and then they burst, as if pulled inside out. Sonic is free.

“Silver…?” The hedgehog is looking sternly down at him, and Sonic feels he’s being judged, somehow.

“Run, you have no place here.”

“What do you-”

“I told you to RUN.” Silver hurries towards the stage, where the witch is already summoning more familiars.

But Sonic is too amazed by the display before him. Out of nowhere, Silver produces a small gun and starts shooting directly at the witch. The abomination recoils after each shot, prompting it to thrash about on stage, as if it were an insect. Much like one, it begins emitting an irritating buzzing noise, its limbs quivering and commanding the approaching familiars erratically. Soon, the stage itself shifts, covering the beast. Silver stops for a second, then from one moment to the other, begins shooting towards the enemy several times with what appears to be a minigun, a bunch of holes emerging. Then, the witch launches itself into the air, a pair of hands stretched upwards towards the stage itself, now turned into a pair of insect wings with many holes in them. Its limbs shed their skin and turn into thin black hairy legs, still moving. The witch now looks like a gigantic firefly, shining brightly in the night sky. The music has turned hellish, now playing from the witch’s body, a wicked symphony of movement and noise. The laughter has only grown louder, despite the few familiars. As if it weren’t enough, a creepy mouth full of thin black teeth emerges from the witch, now trying to attack Silver once more with a shrill shriek. He shoots towards the mouth, and when sufficiently open, he produces a small round object, jumps, and throws it into the aperture.

After landing, Silver immediately turns and runs again, this time towards Sonic. He grabs him by the arm, and, after running for a few moments, leads him behind a small bush.

“Cover your ears.” Silver demands.

Sonic doesn’t ask questions. He glances towards the witch, when Silver pulls his head down.

“Don’t look.”

And after a few moments, an explosion. Parts of the witch’s legs and sequins fly all around the field. When the hedgehogs get up and look, the witch is on the floor. As they get closer, they realize the witch is still alive, but unmoving for the most part; it’s still breathing, but no longer making an effort to survive otherwise. From its disgusting mouth, a pitch black liquid is seeping onto the grass. The once glittering witch is no more than a shivering creature, spitting putrid bile.

“I told you not to follow me.” Silver says.

“I’m sorry, I-”

Gunshots again, but only a few and far between, first towards the few remaining mannequins and then towards the witch. Silver clearly wants to make sure it’s dead for good. Before long, it reverts into a strange object on the ground, the barrier disappears and the hedgehogs are back in the famous hills.

This time, Sonic gets a good look at Silver, no longer in any danger. He’s wearing a white dress that fades into yellow at the ends of the skirt with golden epaulettes and his usual gloves and boots; the body of the dress includes several turquoise accents, particularly a circle right in the center of the chest which is surrounded by gold, clearly an important piece of the outfit.  


Silver carefully takes the object the witch turned into. It looks like a small black sphere with a long, thin spike from the bottom. It bears patterns and emblems of some kind.

“What’s that?” Sonic asks.

Silver doesn’t bother answering, detransforming back into his usual self. After the pause, he holds it out for Sonic to see.

“This is called a Grief Seed.” He explains. “Magical girls need them. In other words,” he narrows his eyes, “these are _only_ for magical girls.”

Sonic can feel the hostility, but Silver ignores the mood and produces an egg-like object from his hand, the same color as the circle on his dress, covered in strips of gold. He touches the Grief Seed against it.

Black particles float from the object into the Grief Seed. "Kyuubey." he calls out, who emerges and sits beside Sonic. Silver throws the Grief Seed towards Kyuubey, whose back opens up like a lid and swallows the black sphere, prompting a cute 'kyuu' from him.

Silver takes a step forward. "Now go away. I _will_ harm you if needed."

"Don't you dare, Silver!" Sonic steps in between them as if to protect Kyuubey.

After a moment of silence, Silver steps back.

“What did you throw at him?” Sonic asks.

“Don’t worry, I consume those so they don’t hatch into witches.” Kyuubey explains.

“‘Hatch into witches’?” Sonic turns around, surprised.

“Yes. They’re also used to purify Soul Gems, which you saw happen just now. Care to show us, Silver?”

“Hmph.” Silver denies.

“That’s called a Soul Gem? They’re quite shiny.”

“And they get even shinier when purified. A magical girl mustn’t let their Soul Gem get completely tainted with curses, it’s their source of magic after all.”

“This all sounds rather complicated...” Sonic muses.

“Don’t listen to him.” Silver interrupts.

“Huh?”

“Give me your phone.” Silver holds his hand out.

“What’s with your attitude?! That’s no way to ask anything of anyone!” Even Sonic is taken aback by his fellow hedgehog’s lack of manners.

“If you ever see a Grief Seed what will you do?” Silver questions.

Sonic remains quiet.

“Exactly. You’ll need to reach me.”

“I could just become a magi-”

“ _Don’t even think it_.” Silver says angrily. “You have nothing to wish for. There’s no reason for you to become one and risk your life.”

Sonic reluctantly hands Silver his cellphone.

“In any case, if you ever see a Grief Seed, call me.”

Sonic waits for Silver to enter his contact info. “Why are you like this?”

“There’s no need for you to get involved, so don’t.” He hands Sonic’s phone back. “I must go. Goodbye.” He walks away calmly.

“That guy…!” Sonic shakes his head. “What is he doing?”

“Frankly, I don’t know.”

Sonic sits down on the grass next to Kyuubey. “Hey, can you explain more about the whole Soul Gem things? I didn’t really understand that.”

“Of course. Magical girls are people who spread hope. Witches are their opposite: they spread curses. After defeating a witch, a magical girl should check her Soul Gem to see how tainted with curses it is. Using a Grief Seed will return the Soul Gem to its original glow, and rid it of the curses it bears.”

“So after you, um, eat the Grief Seed, the witch won’t hatch anymore?”

“That’s correct.”

“And what’s a Soul Gem, really?”

“It is the source of a magical girl’s power. The more a magical girl fights, the more their Soul Gem will be tainted, and so it must be purified by a Grief Seed. That’s the real reason why magical girls fight against witches.”

“Witches will always drop a Grief Seed, then?”

“Actually, no. Not all of them drop Grief Seeds, which is why magical girls need to be careful with their magic usage and be economical with Grief Seeds. Many magical girls fight amongst each other to claim a Grief Seed. Furthermore, familiars never drop Grief Seeds.”

“Wow, this all sounds so complicated… Does Shadow know this already?”

“No, I haven’t talked to him since lunch. I was planning on explaining all of this to the both of you, until your friend showed up.”

“Ah, okay. Well can you go tell him? I kinda need some time alone.” Sonic lies on his back.

“Is everything all right, Sonic?”

“Yeah, I… I just need some time to process all of this. And to think about wishes on my own, to be honest.”

“Okay, see you later, Sonic!” Kyuubey runs off.

The harsh afternoon sun burned brightly in the sky, prompting Sonic to close his eyes. He just needed some time, he thought. But instead, the warm breeze brushing against him lulled him into a peaceful nap.


End file.
